<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>if at some point we all succumb by fudges</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23022442">if at some point we all succumb</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fudges/pseuds/fudges'>fudges</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Borderlands (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Late Night Conversations, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:20:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23022442</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fudges/pseuds/fudges</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A late-night ECHO-call, Rhys' general sense of exhaustion and the fact that Katagawa Jr. will never, ever stop pushing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katagawa Jr./Rhys (Borderlands)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>if at some point we all succumb</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katagawa Jr wouldn’t stop calling Rhys. They couldn't get him to stop. ECHO-devices had basically no security and it was almost impossible to block someone if they really didn’t want to be blocked. </p><p>Rhys knew this firsthand. He’d had three people working on it for more than a week before they’d come back, empty handed and apologetic.</p><p>So, he kept getting calls. Usually one or two a day, though the number sky-rocketed, and the amount of vaguely violent threats towards his employees increased dramatically if Rhys hung up on Katagawa too early. He’d learned to stay on the line for a few minutes, offering the barest responses to Katagawa before eventually cutting the connection. It was a tiring and constant pressure. Katagawa was cloying and seductive, and he always maintained his edge of domineering power. </p><p>Rhys felt spread thin.</p><p>He was in bed one night, thinking of nothing but his sense of general exhaustion, when Katagawa’s voice crackled through his head.</p><p>“Heyyy, Rhys.”</p><p>He sighed deeply.</p><p>“Hey, Katagawa. I’m actually trying to get some sleep here, so-”</p><p>“Oh, are you? Always nice to check on the habits of my favorite soon-to-be coworker.” Katagawa was almost purring. “You in bed, then, Rhys? Comfy? I’m assuming you’re sleeping under your desk.”</p><p>Rhys rolled his eyes. “Not exactly.”</p><p>He was sleeping in a conference room located under his office. Katagawa had all but stated he wasn’t going to attack Atlas HQ (at least with the laser) directly until they really forced his hand, so a couple different strategists had decided it was the safest place, judging his actual office to be too exposed.</p><p>Rhys couldn’t help but think it might have almost been worth it to be kidnapped by Maliwan if he got to sleep somewhere comfortable again.</p><p>Katagawa’s smug tone didn’t falter. “Oh, a conference room, then? Maybe a medical gurney? Pile of blankets in a back hallway? Something like that. You’re definitely not in a bed.”</p><p>Rhys didn’t say anything. </p><p>“You know where I am, Rhys?” Katagawa paused for half a second. “I’m in my personal hot-tub, on the Zanara.” There was a slick sound of flesh, and the sound of water splashing. Rhys had no idea what Katagawa was doing, but his face flushed at the mere suggestion.</p><p>Maybe that was the point.</p><p>Katagawa continued, undeterred by Rhys’ silence. “Do you have back-pain, Rhys? From sleeping on the ground all the time? Because, let me tell you, a dip in here will ease it all right out of you. It’s raw water from the bottom of the ocean on Aquator. Scientifically proven to relax you.”</p><p>Rhys let the pause stretch for several seconds. “That’s nice.” He was proud of the fact his voice didn’t quaver.</p><p>“You’re more than welcome to join me, Rhys. As soon as we get those papers signed for unconditional surrender, we can take a dip together.” </p><p>Rhys closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Katagawa spoke again, lasciviously. </p><p>“And Rhys, trust me, I’ll take great care in rubbing every little bit of soreness out of you.” </p><p>His voice got deep at the end of the sentence. He’d managed to infuse a desire to lick every inch of Rhys’ body into it.</p><p>Rhys squirmed. His next sentence, unfortunately, did come out slightly raspy. “I’m not gonna give up Atlas to you, Katagawa.”</p><p>“C’mon Rhys. You know you’re tired.” There was a pause and another sound of water as Katagawa presumably shifted. “You brought Atlas back from the brink, revitalized the brand image, came to the market with all these new ideas, but you’ve overextended yourself. You don’t have the resources to compete with the giants, you know that. Just surrender to Maliwan and you can focus on easier things. We’re a safety net, Rhys. One you need.”</p><p>Rhys bit his lip. Katagawa spoke again.</p><p>“Think about it, buddy. I’ll be waiting here for youuu.” He sing-songed the last part, then contrary to form, hung up. </p><p>As soon as Katagawa had done so, Rhys exhaled heavily, and rubbed his face. </p><p>Then, mentally shrugging, he reached down and fisted his cock.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wrote this because I realized literally every Katarhys thing I had written, published and unpublished was either pre- or post- canon, divergent or not and I decided I wanted to write something squarely within. Ended up being tempted to take it in a non-canon compliant direction where Rhys very much did succumb, but resisted heroically.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>